Of Fur & Ice
by Trafalgar Neo
Summary: Living on Drum Island was always so hard and lonely. But on a crispy winter breeze of the island they're heading to, Chopper recalls a certain memory that he had forgotten long ago. It seems he was not as alone as he thought. (Some drabble for our fav blue nose reindeer)
1. Ice Memory

Ice Memory

_*Eirlys pronounced Air-ah-liss_

Chopper hummed in delight as he continued to grind up his medical ingredients. The air was frosty, reminding him of his home back in Drum Kingdom. The promise of snow was in the air and on the island they were going to land on at any moment now. As soon as he could feel the weather changing from nice and sunny to frosty, he opened the door to his office to let the cooler air in. It felt nice even if it made him a bit homesick for the crazy doctor and roaming through the heavy snowfall.

His little blue nosed twitched as a forgotten memory floated to the surface of his consciousness. It happened not long after he had eaten his devil fruit. He was wandering the island, lost on what to do and why this strange change had happened to him when he stumbled upon a small family on a frozen pond. Two adults were holding the hand of their little girl, no older than four. A bright smile was on the girl's face as she let her parents glide her over the solid liquid.

_"Lookie!" the girl had said. "I do it!"_

_ "Very good, Eirlys," her mother said._

_ "Yes. Very good." Her father nodded. "She takes after you, dear."_

_ "You think so?" Mother asked._

_ "I do." Father nodded. "I bet she'll become a pro ice skater someday."_

_ "Pro! Pro!" Eirlys cheered._

_ "Would you like that, Eir?" Mother knelt down to the little girl. "I could teach you."_

_ "Yes!" Eirlys nodded. "Teach me!"_

_ "All right then." Mother smiled._

Chopper stopped mixing his medications. After the initial sight of the girl he went back time and time again to the pond. Each time the girl was learning to skate under her parents' watchful gaze. It was very apparent that the girl had a gift for skating even at such a young age. There were times when he wanted to go up and talk to the girl but his experiences with humans were never good. The same would most likely happen here with this girl and her parents. So for a year he watched her from afar, each day witnessing her improvement with skating. The girl was indeed gifted.

A few months later he got quite a shock. The girl had missed a step in her routine and ended up falling on the ice. She rubbed her head then looked up at him. He flinched but thought he was hidden well enough in the shadows where she couldn't see him. He was wrong.

_Eirlys tilted her head and said, "Why do you always watch me from a distance?"_

Chopper stumbled backwards from shock, fell on his butt, and then scrambled away from her without saying a word to her. He stayed away for a long while after that, scared to go back.

Months passed.

When he finally returned he expected to find her skating like always. But she wasn't. Instead she was sitting at the edge of the pond crying into her knees. A man, whom he had seen a couple times before talking to her parents at the pond, walked up to her. He bent down and spoke. Chopper slipped through the shadows until he was close enough to hear what the man was saying to her. The heavy winds only allowed him to catch a few words, but it was clear why the girl was crying. Her parents had gone out to sea to fish with some friends when a storm hit and sunk their boat. No one survived.

After that day Chopper never saw her again. He could only assume she had left the island, possibly with other family.

Chopper lifted his eyes to the ceiling. "I wonder why I thought of her after all this time. It's not like she was my friend or anything. I only knew her name because her parents said it."

"Hey, Chopper. Hey, Chopper? Hey!"

Chopper jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. "Ack! Sanji! You scared me! Don't sneak up on my like that!"

"I didn't sneak." Sanji pointed at the open door with his cigarette. "It was open. What were you doing staring up at the ceiling like that?"

"Oh, nothing," Chopper said. "I was just thinking about Drum Island."

"I take it the cold air prompted the memory."

"Yeah." Chopper nodded, noticing the cook was wearing a thick coat. "Did you need something?"  
"We're about to dock."

"Okay." As Sanji left the room Chopper cleaned up his stuff then joined the crew on the deck.

"Yahoo!" Luffy cheered from the figurehead. "Look at all that snow!"

"It's like the island is glittering," Nami said.

Chopper jumped upon the railing and looked over. Nami was right. The sun was so bright the snow and ice did look like it was glittering.

"Let's go!" Luffy pumped his fists into the air. The ship pulled up to the harbor. Without another word he jumped off the ship and landed on the dock with a thud.

"Always in a hurry," Nami said with a sigh.

Robin smiled as the two women made their way down the rope ladder Franky had thrown over the side.

Walking through the harbor the crew was met with cheerful greetings and posters of the ice festival that was currently going on.

"Wow," Nami said. "I didn't expect to be this welcomed."

"I guess being pirates don't matter," Sanji said.

"Huh?" Chopper looked up when a poster caught his eyes. A teenager girl was on the poster. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a tight bun. Her skating dress was light blue and short, matching her white skates.

"What is it, Chopper?" Sanji asked. He and the rest of the crew walked back to their doctor.

"A skating exhibition?" Zoro asked.

Brook laughed. "She's pretty. I wonder if she'll let me see her underwear."

"Not a chance!" Nami punched the skeleton's head.

"So cool! We should go!" Luffy said.

"It's her," Chopper said. "I think it's her."

"Her who?" Nami asked.

"Someone I use to know," Chopper said, eyes remaining locked on the poster.


	2. Ice Fairy

Ice Fairy

"Ow! This place is amazing!" Franky said as the crew strolled down the main street. Booths were set up; some sold food while others sold trinkets or had games to play.

"This hot chocolate is pretty amazing too," Usopp said before taking another sip of his steaming beverage.

"I agree. It's very thick and creamy," Sanji said swirling his cup around.

"Yeah." Nami agreed holding her own cup.

"This icy ice cream is very flavorful, as well." Brook laughed then took another bit of the ice blue ice cream. He shivered. "But it makes me so cold. Of course I don't feel cold."

They came to the end of the street and saw a large pond. Some people were already sitting in the stands. A few people were out on the ice. On the opposite side of the stands was a building.

"Is that it?" Zoro asked.

"Looks like it." Nami led the way to the pond.

Chopper climbed upon the bench between Robin and Sanji. He stared out at the frozen pond, wondering when he'll finally get to see her.

Fifteen minutes later the first skater glided out on the ice. The announcer said her name but Chopper was too distracted to pay attention. All he knew was she was tall with long black hair braided in two pigtails. The music started strong. Drums beat hard as the girl started to move. It was like the girl was in a battle. Her moves were perfectly in sync with the music.

Two skaters later she finally came out onto the frozen stage. The announcer said her name as she took her starting pose in the center of the pond. "Ladies and gentlemen, the moment has arrived. Please welcome the lovely Ice Fairy Eirlys!"

The crowd cheered. Men whistled and called out, asking her to go on a date with them. Sanji was among them. Hearts pounded in the cook's eyes. "Ice Fairy? She's an angel! A goddess!"

"She's sure popular," Robin said.

"Why did he call her Ice Fairy Eirlys?" Nami asked.

"Are you kidding?" The man in front of them turned to the pirates. "She's the best skater ever. She's on her way to being a pro ice skater. Everyone is aiming to beat her."

"She's that good?" Brook asked.

"She is." The man nodded. "Watch and see."

The music started. Eirlys glided across the frozen water as if she was being pushed around by the wind. Her graceful spins and jumps had the crowd entranced. Silence fell over the crowd as they watched her.

"She's gotten so much better than before," Chopper said.

"Do you hear that?" Nami said. "Everyone's completely silent."

"She's amazing! She should join our crew!" Luffy grinned.

"You can't be serious," Nami said. "What could she add?"  
"She can skate." Luffy looked at the orange haired woman.

"Only on ice." Nami shook her head. "Not much of that on the sea, Luffy."

"She can still join." Luffy pouted.

"Hm?" Sanji hummed.

"Something wrong, Sanji?" Chopper looked to find the cook staring at Eirlys.

"It's nothing." Sanji smiled. "She's really good, isn't she?"

"She is. Better than I remember," Chopper mutter.

"Huh? You know that girl?" Franky asked.

Chopper flinched. He thought he had said that low enough so no one would hear him.

"Really? You know her?" Luffy asked.

"Yes." Chopper nodded. "Sort of. She used to live in Drum Kingdom."

"That's amazing," Nami said. "You should say hi to her after the exhibition is over."

"No. We weren't friends or anything," Chopper said.

"Oh. That's too bad. But you should probably say hi anyway. I'll bet she'll be surprised to see someone else from the same island," Nami said.

"Maybe." Chopper shrugged.

The song slowed to an end. Eirlys's moves continued to follow the music until both it and her body came to a stop. A few beats of silence happened before the crowd burst into applause.

The pirates got up with the rest of the crowd and headed away from the area. Chopper followed along for a moment then stopped. He looked back to the building across the pond. It was where the skaters came out of and where they went back to when their routine was finished. He gave his crew a glance before rushing towards the building. He knew he should tell the crew where he was going, but he knew they would want to follow him. He didn't want that at the moment.

Words floated through the empty hall. Light came from one rooms as the door was partially open.

Chopper moved closer to the door and listened to the voices inside.

"And your spin was far too slow. You have to keep on your toes."

"I know," Eirlys said.

"These exhibitions are supposed to show you what your opponents are up to. How much better they are than you! You need to focus!"

Chopper shifted closer until he could look inside. Eirlys was sitting at a vanity, wiping off her make up. A man wearing a business suit, brown hair slicked back, stood behind her with his arms crossed. The man was familiar but Chopper couldn't place him.

"I'm sorry," Eirlys said. "I'll try harder next time."

The man snorted. "You say that but then you never deliver." He shook his head. "Don't fail again."

Chopper rushed away from the door when the man turned in his direction. He ducked into another open door. The man exited the room then headed down the hall. When he was gone Chopper went back to the room. He about stepped inside but stopped when he saw tears running down Eirlys's cheeks. Feeling out of place, he turned and left.

…

"There you are, Chopper," Sanji said. "Where did you disappear to?"

Chopper looked up to see the cook running up to him. "Oh, nowhere."

"Hm?" Sanji tilted his head. "You okay?"

"Fine." Chopper smiled. "Let's get back to the others."

Later that night Chopper laid in bed, thinking about how Eirlys was crying. He didn't know anything about ice skating so he couldn't really judge if that man's words were justified. Eirlys skated beautifully.

He sat up. The others were fast asleep, Luffy and Usopp half hanging off their bunks, as he tiptoed out of the shadowed room. Jumping back down to the dock he ran towards the pond. Why he went there he wasn't sure. Something told him to go there. And when he got there he knew why. Eirlys was out on the pond skating. He stood in the shadows and watched her. It brought back memories of watching her skate back home.

Suddenly Eirlys fell. She didn't get back up.

"Ah!" Chopper screamed and ran over to her. "Hold on, Eirlys! I'll get you-" He paused. His eyes scanned her. He didn't notice before, but Eirlys was malnourished. Her cheeks were red and sweat dripped down her forehead. "She has a fever."

Changing into his human form, he picked her up and rushed back to the ship.

...

**BlindmanV2: I wish it were that easy.**


	3. Ice & Fur

Ice & Fur

Eirlys shifted. A soft blanket brushed over her warm skin. Salt, wood, and medicine wafted into her nose. Her eyebrows drew together. That wasn't right. She shouldn't smell those three things at all. She should be outside, in the cold, skating. She opened her eyes to a wooden ceiling above her. "That's…not right."

"You awake now?"

Eirlys turned her head towards the voice. Sitting in a chair next to a table was a creature with antlers, a hat, and wearing shorts. That alone was curious enough, but what really drew her attention was the creature's little blue nose. It struck a familiar cord with her but she couldn't place where she had seen a blue nose before.

"How are you feeling?" the creature asked.

"Tired, but okay." Eirlys sat up. Which was a mistake. The room spun around her. She placed a hand on her head and held back a gag.

"You shouldn't sit up just yet." The creature jumped off his chair and ran over to her. "Lay back down."

Eirlys gladly listened to him. "Where am I?"

"You're on…a ship."

"A ship? Why would I be on a ship?" Eirlys looked at the creature. He was pulling out a blood pressure cuff.

"You passed out on the ice. Don't worry thought. You're safe on this ship." He wrapped the cuff around her arm. His eyes flickered to hers for a split second before going back to the cuff. "Do you remember?"

"The ice. That's right. I was getting in some extra practice," Eirlys said. The creature's scent rushed through her nostrils. With it came the memory of where she had seen a blue nosed creature before. "That's it! I remember you! You're the monster of Drum Kingdom!"

The creature jumped back, as if scared by her words. His hooves grabbed onto the chair like he was attempting to use it to hide but his body still stuck out.

Eirlys sat up and blinked at the creature. "But you're a lot smaller than back then. You are that creature, aren't you? Back in Drum Kingdom."

"Uh…" He nodded. "Yeah. I was born there." He swallowed. "I, uh, was that creature you saw. But I was in my human form."

"Human form?"

"I'm a reindeer. When I ate the human human devil fruit I gained the ability to turn into a human. Well, sort of. I still maintained my fur and blue nose." He inched closer to her.

"A devil fruit, huh?" Eirlys turned to him, tucking her feet under her legs. "That explains it then. I thought you were some kind of monster. Well, that's what everyone was saying. I wasn't sure what you were, but you didn't strike me as a monster. I saw you, you know? Several times. You were watching me skate. Weren't you?"

"Yeah." Chopper nodded. "I watched you. You were really good. You're great now."

"Thanks." Eirlys smiled, though it wasn't a bright one.

"Something wrong?" Chopper asked.

"No." Eirlys shook her head. "So who's ship is this? Yours?"

"It's my crew's," Chopper said.

"Crew?"

"I'm a pirate now."

"Really?" Eirlys's eyebrows rose. Before she could ask questions a knock came on the door.

"Come in," Chopper said.

A blonde man with a cigarette between his lips walked in with a plate of food. He smiled at her. "Glad to see you're awake. I brought you some food." He held out the plate to her.

"Thanks, but I can't. I really should get back home," Eirlys said.

Sanji watched her for a moment before placing the plate on the bed beside her. "It would be best if you ate that. You're seriously malnourished."

Eirlys flinched.

"He's right, Eirlys," Chopper said. "Please. Eat. Sanji's the best cook in the world. You'll love his food. It's every good."

Eirlys bit her bottom lip, her eyes dropped to the food. Her stomach grumbled in protest of not eating it. It smelled amazing. Looked just as good.

"Is there a reason you won't eat it?" Sanji asked.

"I'm not hungry." Eirlys's stomach growled louder. Heat rushed to her cheeks.

"Eirlys, please." Chopper's words and eyes pleaded with her. "You need to eat. You're going to make yourself sick if you skip meals."

"Is your manager forcing you not to eat?" Sanji asked.

"Why would you…?" Eirlys looked at the blonde. How could he possibly have known that?

"Just a guess." Sanji shrugged. "I've seen plenty of people who have been deprived of food."

"I'm not being deprived of food. My manager has me on a strict diet. That's all." Eirlys huffed. "It's not easy being a skater. You have to have the right type of body."

"Right type of body? Please. You need to take care of your body. And you're not. Now eat!" Sanji snapped.

Eirlys jumped.

"Sanji," Chopper said.

"Sorry." Sanji shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Forgive him," Chopper said. "He's cook. He likes feeding people. Please. Eat."

Eirlys sighed. Her manager was going to yell at her for this. She picked up the plate and took a bite. The spices exploded over her tongue. The food was better than she had expected. She felt strength rushing back to her. "This is amazing." Without meaning to she ate the whole thing. "Thank you. That was delicious."

"I'm glad you liked it." Sanji smiled. "I can understand you wanting to keep your weight at a certain level, but starving yourself or eating very little is no way to do it. You're hurting your body by denying it vital nutrients it needs."

"I know." Eirlys nodded. "My parents said that all the time. But when they died, my manager took me in and took control of what I eat and don't eat. I know what he's doing is wrong, but I can't stop him."

"Then why not leave him?" Sanji asked.

Eirlys shrugged. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go."

"You could go back to Drum Kingdom. Don't you have family there?" Chopper said.

"No." Eirlys shook her head. "My mother was from a wealthy family, but when she announced she was going to marry my dad her family disowned her. And my dad was an only child. His parents had him late in life so he didn't have any siblings. They died when he was only seventeen."

"I see. That is a problem. But you can't keep doing this. If you keep eating like this you're going to end up dying," Sanji said. "Maybe we should have a talk with her manager."

"No, please don't do that," Eirlys said, heart hammering. "He's very influential around here and in the skating world. Aggravating him will only make it worse." She stood up. "Please!"

Sanji sighed. "Fine. I won't bring it up to him. For the time being."

"Thank you. And thanks again for the food. I really should be heading back before he notices I'm gone," Eirlys said.

"I'll walk you back," Chopper said.

"Okay." Eirlys nodded. She followed Chopper and Sanji out of the room, around a corner, and down to a set of stairs to the deck. There the rest of the crew had gathered.

"Hey, you're up now," the orange haired woman said.

Eirlys nodded.

"Eirlys," Chopper said, "these are my friends and crewmates. Luffy the captain, Nami the navigator, Robin is an archeologist, Zoro is a swordsman, Brook is also a swordsman and he's a musician, Usopp is a sniper, and Franky is a cyborg and our shipwright."

Eirlys looked and nodded at each one as Chopper said their names. "Nice to meet you all."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Brook held out a boney hand and bowed to her. "By chance, may I see your panties?"  
"Knock it off!" Nami punched the skeleton in the head.

"You are so cool! We watched you skating!" Luffy ran right in front of her. "You should join our crew!"

"What?" Eirlys stared at the captain. "Join your crew?"

"Ignore him," Zoro said. "Luffy's always trying to recruit someone or something to our crew." He jerked his thumb to Brook and Sanji. "See? We a skeleton and a bone head."

"Shut up, Mosshead!" Sanji snapped.

"Well, I'm going to walk Eirlys home," Chopper said.

"You're leaving already?" Luffy asked.

"My manager will worry if I don't show up," Eirlys said. "Again, it was nice to meet you all. And thanks for the food."

Chopper led his friend down the rope ladder.

"You have a very lively crew," Eirlys said as they walked away from the ship.

"Yeah." Chopper nodded. "They're fun to be around."

"They seem like good people. I'm glad you found a place and people that accept you."

"Me too." Chopper smiled.

Eirlys led him through the quiet town. Everyone had vacated the streets for the warmth of their homes. The sun had set long ago so the weather had gotten a lot cooler. A few minutes later they reached a small house on the outskirts of town. No lights were on so she pulled out her key. "Thanks for walking me home."

"I would like to see you again." Chopper looked up at her. "We're staying here a few days. Would it be all right if we saw each other again?"

"Of course that would be all right. I'd like that." Eirlys smiled. "I have some time tomorrow before the show. My manager always insists I rest a couple hours before a show starts. He won't be around either."

"Great!" Chopper smiled then ran off. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Eirlys waved back before heading inside.


	4. Ice Stolen

Ice Stolen

"Wow. Your adventures are as amazing as your ship," Eirlys said when the pirate crew had finally caught her up with their adventures. They were sitting on the deck of the Sunny with hot chocolate in their hands. "You've been through a lot."

"We sure have!" Chopper nodded with a bright smile.

"Sounds fascinating," Eirlys said.

"Does that mean you'll join our crew?" Luffy asked.

"No." Eirlys shook her head. "I wouldn't like being a pirate. My life is skating."

"Have you been skating long?" Robin asked.

"Yes." Eirlys nodded. "Since I was four. My mother taught me. She was really good too."

"She must have been a good skater as well," Usopp said

"She was. She was going to be pro, but when she got married and had me she gave up on that dream," Eirlys said. "Instead she started encourage me to become pro when she saw I had a gift for ice skating."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be getting back to the pond?" Sanji asked.

"Oh no!" Eirlys jumped to her feet. "I almost forgot." She dashed for the rope ladder. "You are coming to watch me, right?"

"Of course we are." Chopper waved.

Eirlys smiled and waved back before climbing down the ladder.

…

As they had done the day before, the Straw Hat pirates made their way to the frozen pond. This time they were early so they got front row seats. Chopper lead over the railing in front of them, kicking his hoofs with a big smile.

"You sure are happy to be here," Franky said.

"I can't wait to see Eirlys skate again," Chopper said. "I hope she'll be okay."

"We're here if she's not," Sanji said.

Chopper nodded.

More people roamed into the stands as the time passed. Finally it had started. One by one skaters came out onto the ice and did their routines. Then Eirlys skated onto the ice. She smiled and waved at the pirates before taking her pose. As her music started she glided along, striking all the moves in perfect sync with the music.

"She's even better than yesterday," Nami said.

"See? Good food will do you wonders," Sanji said.

Suddenly, Eirlys collapsed onto the ice.

"Eirlys!" Chopper screamed and raced for her. He reached for her arm, but before he could touch her a hand slapped his hoof away. "I'm a doctor! Let me help her!"

"Don't touch her!"

Chopper noticed him right away. The man was Eirlys's manager. He wore a scowl on his face.

"I'm Job. Eirlys's manager," Job said. "I'll take care of her."

Anger bubbled up in Chopper. "You haven't been taking care of her at all! She needs medical attention! And she needs the right amount of food!"

"I don't know what you're prattling on about," Job said while pulling Eirlys into his arms. "Eirlys's is just fine." He walked off without another word.

Chopper had no choice but to head back to his crew. Tears blurred his eyes.

"What was that about?" Nami asked. "Why wouldn't he let you help her?"

"Because he's a jerk who doesn't care about her." Chopper pulled his hat down over his eyes.

"And that means?" Usopp asked.

"Eirlys is very malnourished. She collapsed because she's not getting the right amount of food." Sanji puffed on his cigarette.

"What?!" The crew gasped.

"You can't be serious," Zoro said. "She looks fine."

"Moron. Of course you'd say that. You don't know a thing," Sanji said.

"You wanna fight?!" Zoro pushed up one of his swords.

"Excuse me." The black haired skater stepped up to them. "But the blonde is right."

"Who are you?" Usopp asked.

"My name is Blake," she said. "I'm a friend, sort of, with Eirlys. She's in danger, more than you know. Job doesn't care about her. He's only using her to make his own dream come true."

"His dream?" Franky asked.

"Job use to be a skater, but when he got injured he became a manager. He's always look for skaters to manage," Blake said. "But whoever he manages always ends up injured because he pushes them too hard and won't let them eat much. He also keeps the prizes she wins from competitions. It's terrible."

"Why hasn't anyone stopped him?" Brook asked.

"No one can catch him," Blake said. "When Eirlys goes to the doctor Job has her pill tricks into passing exams. Things like putting coins in her pockets so she weights more than she really does."

"That's terrible," Nami said.

"Luffy." Tears poured from Chopper's eyes. "Please…we have to help her."

"We will, Chopper." Luffy cracked his knuckles. "Get ready. We're kidnapping her."

"We're what?!" Usopp and Nami asked.

"Eirlys is our friend. And our friend is in trouble," Luffy said.

"Thank you," Chopper said, tears pouring like rivers.

"Let's go!" Luffy lead the charge towards the building where the skaters waited for their turn. The crew followed them, weapons ready despite the lack of need for them. They all wanted to be prepared in case.

Within seconds they were bursting into the building.

"Which way?" Franky asked.

"This way!" Chopper raced to the room he first saw Eirlys is. The door was closed. Without hesitation he rammed into it. "Eirlys!"

"What are you people doing here?!" Job demanded. "Get out!"

Eirlys was sitting at the vanity. Her skin pale, she looked up at them. "Chopper…"

"Hold on, Eirlys!" Chopper said. "We're getting you out of here!"

"No! You're not!" Job pulled out a gun.

Luffy punched him.

Zoro sliced the gun in half.

Sanji kicked him.

Chopper rushed over to Eirlys, picked her up, and rushed out of the room. The rest of the crew followed.

"You won't get away with this!" Job said, blood dripping down his face.

"Shut up!" Sanji kicked the man again. "You're lucky I don't kill you for treating such a delicate flower like that!" With that he left, slamming the door behind him as he went.


	5. Ice Tears

Ice Tears

Eirlys opened her eyes to find herself once again in Chopper's doctor office aboard the ship. With a chuckle she said, "This seems to be coming a habit."

"Eirlys." Chopper jumped off his chair and raced to the side of the bed. Tears were still streaming down his furry cheeks. "Are you okay?"  
"Yeah. I think so." Eirlys sighed and looked at him. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything."

"It's not your fault. Blake told us what all Job has been doing," Chopper said.

"She did?"

"She seemed worried about you," Chopper said.

"Blake…I've known her for about four years now." Eirlys pushed herself into a sitting position. "She's really nice. She's always concerned about skaters who are injured despite being rivals."

"She sounds great," Chopper said. "I'm glad she was looking out for you even though she couldn't do anything."

Eirlys nodded. "Where's the rest of your crew?"

"Probably out on the deck," Chopper said. "They're keeping an eye out for Job. We're kind of worried he's going to pull something. We did kidnap you after all."

Eirlys laughed. "I don't feel kidnapped. I feel relieved and happier than I have been in a long time. He's probably having a heart attack right now."

"You seem in good spirits now. You'll feel even better after you eat. Sanji will be here any minute." Chopper looked at the door.

"Why don't we go to him?" Eirlys pushed off her blanket and swung her feet to the floor.

"You feel up to it?"

Eirlys nodded.

"I'd rather you rest…but it's probably a good idea," Chopper said. "We're going to have decide what we're going to do next. We can't let you go back to Job. And you said you don't want to be a pirate."

Eirlys sighed. She wondered what she could do having no family to turn to.

"Keep the blanket around yourself. Don't want you getting any sicker," Chopper ordered.

Standing, Eirlys wrapped the blanket around her shoulders then she followed Chopper to the deck. The crew was there as the doctor had said. They all were keeping an eye out for Job before they noticed her and Chopper.

"Eirlys!" Luffy waved.

"How are you feeling?" Nami asked.

"A bit weak, but fine. Thanks." Eirlys walked down the stairs.

"Have a seat." Chopper pulled himself up on the mast bench.

Eirlys sat down beside him and leaned back against the mast.

"Would you care for some tea?" Brook poured a cup and held it out to her.

"Thank you." Eirlys took the cup and took a sip. The liquid warmed her body. "So good."

A door opened. "So you feel up to being outside, huh?"

Eirlys looked up to see Sanji had stepped out of the kitchen with a tray balanced on his hand. "Yes."

"For you." Sanji held out the tray for her. "Eat up. You need it."

"Thanks a lot." Eirlys took the plate and gladly dug into the food. It was even better than the first meal he gave her. It once again gave her strength.

"I hate to be pushy, but what are you going to do now?" Sanji said. "You can't go back to Job. We won't allow it."

"I don't know." Eirlys sighed. "I really have no one to turn to for help. Job is all I have."

"Don't worry," Luffy said. "It'll work out."

Eirlys nodded but tears gathered in her eyes. Unable to stop them, they flowed down her cheeks. "I don't want to go back to him."

"It's all right." Chopper rubbed her back. "We won't let him take you again."

"You know, I kept going because of you," Eirlys said, brushing away her tears.

"Me?" Chopper pointed at himself.

"You inspired me. You were labeled a monster. Yet you still kept moving forward," Eirlys said. "I want to keep skating, but…but I hate it so much now." She broke. More tears poured down her cheeks. "I use to love it so much. Now I don't even want to do it anymore. Job has ruined it. I hate it. I _hate_ him."

"There, there." Nami stroked her hair. "It'll be all right."

"I…" Eirlys sniffled. "I really wanted to become a pro so I could make my mom's dream come true. I wanted her to be proud of me. But because of him I'm getting sicker and sicker. If this keeps up I won't be able to skate at all anymore." She brushed her tears away but more took their place. "I don't want that to happen. Despite how things are now I still want to skate. I want to love skating again."

"Don't worry, Eirlys." Luffy patted her head with a big smile. "You're our friend now. We'll set you free. I promise."

"I don't know. Where am I supposed to live?" Eirlys asked.

"Just leave that to us," Usopp said. "We can figure anything out. I am an amazing captain after all."

"Usopp! You are not the captain! I am!" Luffy said.

Eirlys stared at the young captain before looking at the other pirates. It was easy to see they all agreed with their captain. It was easy to see they were telling her the truth. Despite not knowing her but for only a few hours, they were determined to help her. Warmth bubbled in her heart. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt in years. For the first time in a long time she felt truly happy again. She nodded. "Okay."


	6. Ice Pirate

Ice Pirate

Eirlys was resting comfortably against the ship mast when Franky suddenly said, "Someone's coming!"

The pirates gathered at the edge of the ship. Eirlys stood and joined them. Coming towards them was fifty men, Job in the lead. She tightened her hand around the blanket.

"That's all he's sending?" Zoro said. "Not even worthy my time. Hey, cook, you take care of them."

"Shut up, Mosshead! Fine! You'll just get in my way!" Sanji said.

"Aw." Luffy slumped over the railing. "I was hoping for a good fight. This won't even work up a good sweat." He looked at Eirlys. "Isn't there any navy soldiers or other pirates around?"

"I'm not sure. Soldiers and pirates aren't who Job hangs out with," Eirlys said.

"We'd know if the navy was here," Robin said. "And there are a few other pirates ships in the harbor. But considering who Job is and what his job is I doubt they'll have any interest in working with them."

"So who's going to take them down?" Franky asked. "There's no pointing all of us fighting."

"Usopp'll take care of this," Luffy said.

"Why me?!" Usopp demanded.

"Because I said so." Luffy picked his nose.

"I'm not going to waste my precious ammo on those morons!" Usopp pointed to the men marching towards them.

"All right, pirates!" Job shouted. "I know you took Eirlys! Give her back to me right now and you can go free!"

"Is this guy serious?" Brook asked. "Does he not follow the newspapers?"

"Apparently not," Nami said. "If he did there's no way he'd come here with so few people."

"Eirlys! Hold on a little longer! I'll save you!" Job said.

"No! Go away! I want nothing to do with you!" Eirlys shouted.

"I know you're scared! I'll be right there!" Job said.

"Will you listen to me?! I'm done with you!"

The men charged.

The pirates didn't move.

"Fine! I'll take care of it!" Usopp pulled out his weapon and ammo. He fired off a few shots. There were some explosions before Sanji jumped from the ship. Several sounds of punches and kicked, mixed in with Sanji's cursing, floated back to them. When the dust and smoke cleared the cook was the only one standing. "Well, that was easy."

"That was quick. I'm impressed," Eirlys said. "I think I'm going to have to start paying attention to you all in the newspapers."

"Hey! Eirlys!"

Everyone turned their attention to the black haired skater running up to the harbor with two adults with her.

"Blake? What's she doing here?" Eirlys asked.

"Are you okay?! I was worried about you!" Blake and the two adults stopped at the bodies littered on the ground. "What happened?"

Eirlys and the pirates descended to the docks and explained what happened. In turn Blake introduced her parents to them. Both parents shared Blake's black hair.

"Well, don't worry," Blake's dad said. "Job will no longer bother you. I'll make sure he turns all of your money back to you as well. He's finished."

"Thank you," Eirlys said.

"Hey! How about Eirlys stays with Blake and her family?!" Luffy said.

"Luffy!" Eirlys said. "You can't just blurt things out like that!"

"Of course," Blake's mom said. "She's more than welcome to stay with us. The poor thing has been through a lot. I can't believe no one would help her. Well, that ends now."

"Yes!" Blake jumped. "That will be amazing!"

"No, no! I can't." Eirlys waved her hands.

"Why not? This is a perfect solution to your problem," Nami said.

"It's okay, Eirlys," Blake said. "My parents wouldn't offer if they didn't mind. So stay with us."

"Well, if you're sure it's okay," Eirlys said getting a nod from Blake's parents. "Okay."

A few days later Eirlys gathered with the Straw Hat pirates on the dock next to their ship. "I can't believe so much happened in such a short amount of time. But I'm glad I got to see you again, Chopper. And got to meet your friends."

"Me too." Chopper nodded.

"And I'm glad we got another crewmate," Luffy said.

"Crewmate?" Eirlys looked at the young captain.

"Yup! You are a part of our crew," Luffy said. "And we will come back one day. So you had better become the best ice skater in the whole world."

"Best ice skater in the whole world? You're kidding, right?"

"Nope." Luffy grinned.

"What?! I can't do that!" Eirlys's eyes widened. "I just want to be a pro! I don't want to be the best in the world!"

"I'll settle for nothing less than the best in my crew," Luffy said.

"Hold on! You can't do that!" Eirlys said. "I might be an honorary member but you can't boss me around like that!"

Luffy laughed. "You're not an _honorary_ member. You are _a member_. And, yes, I can. I am the captain. It's captain's orders."

"Give it up, Eirlys," Chopper said. "Once Luffy get's something in his head there's no stopping him."

"Fine." Eirlys crossed her arms. "I make no promises though."

"Then we'll see you soon!" Luffy said as he rushed to the ship.

"Be sure to keep eating right." Sanji waved.

"Well, I guess we have to go now," Chopper said.

Eirlys bent down and hugged her friend. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too!" Chopper hugged her back before joining his crew on the ship.

Eirlys waved to the pirates as their ship pulled away from the island.


End file.
